


Catabird

by KaitHatesKitKats



Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Birdwatching, Caterpillarwatching, Character Development, Funny, M/M, Short & Sweet, Tom is a Sweetheart, Will is oblivious, mentions of bullying, tryingtomakethisromantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:50:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26640160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaitHatesKitKats/pseuds/KaitHatesKitKats
Summary: Will is enjoying a nice day at the park, watching his birds, many of them he's known since he picked up bird watching, when a peculiar boy sits next to him."I'm your new bench buddy!"Will's past and Tom's insecurities reveal themselves the more these boys run into each other, and soon, they will never want to be kept apart.Not everything works out how you want it to though...
Relationships: Tom Blake & William Schofield
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Bench buddy

Chirping and leaves shaking could be heard. Will sat on the stonewall park bench, alone, and minding his own business to be quite frank. It was a lovely day out; the birds were enjoying it too, snacking on bugs and seeds he threw. He admired them, smiling softly.

His attention was then snatched away by what he had been waiting for all morning. 

A red cardinal.

It was by far his favorite bird. He can admit it looks a little dumb, but he loves it no matter what. The colors were exceptional.

Will was a bird watcher, and he came up here everyday since the past few years to watch the bird. He had a couple bird friends here, and a couple just sang beautiful songs and minded their business just like Will. Which is why he liked them so much, they were beautiful by their own, not needing any help, not caring about the outside world.  
Will kept to himself most days, he didn’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend, his Mom and step dad were off on a zoology trip. They were slowly growing older, yet still they had a love for animals. His sister, Avery, and nieces, Claire and Percy, were very close, and he loved to play around with them, show them the beautiful birds at the park. They would play on the playground while him and his sister caught up, her showing him the latest funny and cute videos of his nieces being silly.

He was thinking of them now, and the happiness that they brought him. Distracted from his bird watching he barely caught a glimpse of the red cardinal flying off. ‘One day…’ He thought with longing. ‘One day we can be friends, you and I.’

It was a very peaceful day, one of the loveliest. He was basking in the life and freshness of the park when the bench suddenly dipped, startling him.

He turned his head, a little annoyed and confused, only to be met with what could only be described and a cheeky, smiley, bubbly boy wearing a pair of pastel blue overalls and black converse. His brown curly hair was a tad out of place, he looked a little flustered as well.

Will concluded the young boy had just finished sprinting from god knows where.

A hand was stretched out in front of him. “Hi! I’m sorry to disturb you, I’m Tom, your new bench buddy!” Will carefully took his hand and shook it gingerly, a tad confused for good reason. Tom took no notice and carried on. “The reason I’m out of breath a bit is because I ran here, you see, I’m a caterpillar watcher.” Tom explained half assed.

‘That must be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.’ Will agreed with himself.

“And this is the perfect weather for caterpillars, they love this warmth, look there’s one now!” They both turned their heads to the chairs rail, next to Will, as a green caterpillar slowly crawled across. Tom beamed with absolute wonder, but Will only shrugged and continued watching the trees that adorned the park like a crown.

Tom walked around to the Will's side and knelt to face the caterpillar. Will was astounded by Toms love for them. He couldn’t say the same. I mean can you blame him? His birds eat those caterpillars to live.

Tom saw Will looking at the birds, and cocked his head. “So why are you a bird watcher?” Tom asked while gently petting the caterpillar. “I don’t know, all my life I’ve just loved them, they’re pretty, and make beautiful songs.” Will contemplated it, he didn’t think there was need for a deeper answer. He mentally shrugged it off and repeated the question back to Tom. “Why do you like to watch your stupid caterpillars?” Ne asked, ruder than intended, not that he intended to be rude at all.

The wind picked up as he said that, almost as offended as Tom.

Tom glared at Will, and for a second the older boy thought he saw some tears appearing in his eyes. He immediately felt terrible. ‘why would I insult someone else’s preference, am I that rude? If the boy likes caterpillars then there’s nothing wrong with that you asshole.’ He spoke to himself. Will's face flushed a bit as he tried to apologize but was cut off. 

“For your information caterpillars are wonderful, especially the scratchy ones. And for your information I’m not telling you!”  
Tom had anger splayed on his face, and Will new what he had said wasn't right. “You’re right, I’m sorry, that was rude of me, I find them cute there’s nothing wrong with caterpillars or liking them.” Toms expression went softer, sensing Will's sincereness. “I forgive you, but don’t think about saying that cause it's just rude.  
Caterpillar boy had one of the strongest cockney accents he had ever heard, which is unusual for where he lived.

Will sat in silence for the most part, Tom busy with keeping the conversation going. Every once in a while Will would give a response. A small 'yes' here a little 'sure' there, no matter Tom was very happy to have someone who was willing to sit and listen, because Will was an excellent listener. Tom was very pleased to learn that he didn't interrupt not once! 

Will kept a keen eye on the birds, but after every sentence about caterpillars and every story of he could spit out, not once did the boy tell why he watched or liked caterpillars so much.

15 minutes turned into 20, 20 into 30, and before long an hour had passed of Tom's company. Caterpillar boy, tuckered out from talking for an hour, slumped in the bench, resting his head on his palm. Will sighed as he saw the worn out boy, 'finally tired out eh?'. "You know, I've been here for years why visit now?" Will asked, genuinely curious. He barely picked his head up at the question. "I could say the same for you, I've been coming here for a couple months and I've never seen you, It's nice to not be lonely again."

Will let out a thoughtful hum, deciding to call it a day. "Well, you look awfully tired, and I've got dishes back home, why don't you get some rest?" He looked down gently. Tom smiled at the strangers kindness. "That sounds like a fine idea!" The boy answered as enthusiastically as he could. 

They both packed up, said their goodbyes, and soon Will was home, reading a book with some tea. He realized he quite enjoyed what happened, although it was odd for Tom to suddenly find him, but maybe a change of pace would be good, maybe a friend would be good. “Maybe I can see him tomorrow, as long as he doesn’t get in my way or be to rambunctious." 

You had to give Will some credit, he wasn't great at social situations at his best, he often found himself saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and tended to avoid talking for that reason.

Going to the park was one way for will to de stress, and feel at peace. The world was so big and fast, and he wasn’t ready for that. He learned quickly that he wasn’t like everyone else, he was calmer, couldn’t socialize, didn’t like many crowds. But there was something about Toms attitude that made him want the boy to come back, to ask for his number.

Tom in the meantime, was at home playing Xbox with his brother, Joe.

Joe knew nothing about videogames, which was frustrating when he saw Joe try to break wood with a pickaxe. “No Joe! You use an axe.” Tom eyed his brother warily. His older brother chuckled. “I don’t have one, I'll have to make one.”

They bickered a bit about the game mechanics and who was actually playing right, ending with Tom dying from 'Joe5 killed T00m34 with an axe'

Tom dropped his controller, and started running room to room, trying to dodge Joe's tickle attacks. “You get away Joe! Il hit you with my pillow so hard!” Tom yelled with a high pitched voice, spewing empty threats. Joe cornered him in their living room, not giving up even for a second. Joe successfully hit him over the head with a throw pillow, and they both flopped to the ground, tired and sweaty. Myrtle came over and licked their faces, making them giggle. “You’re so slow Tom, you need exercise.” Joe smiled, teasing his younger brother. “Shut up egg head.” Tom grumbled, but hiding a smile.


	2. Rainy days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will meets the boy again at the park, this time he gets to know him and understand him, and Tom warms up to Will a bit more.

The next day in the early afternoon, Will sat on the very same bench, in the very same park, at the very same time. He didn’t necessarily want to see the boy, but he didn’t mind if he showed up, or talk about caterpillars, maybe hang out at another park, maybe go grab some food together-

He stopped himself from thinking because Jesus Christ his mind can wander.

Occasionally as he watched the birds, Will would write down things he would notice about the birds that he hadn’t before. Will kept a close eye on all the birds, looking for signs or sickness, of damaged wings.

The weather this day was less cheerful, the air was almost damp and smelled of spring rain, and the sky was filled with dark clouds. Everyone had left the park by this point, yet he still showed up. It was silent except for the wind, and it felt wrong. He was without park goers, and without… Tom. He wanted him here, it felt out of place, for the first time in a long time he felt lonely.

So, so lonely. 

It didn't feel normal either, it felt sad, suddenly he wanted to be home, something somewhere deep inside of him just wanted to leave this unfamiliar place. Not even the birds sang today as if they knew something he didn’t. Will sighed unhappily. 

He began to pack up his white notebook and his purple pen, along with his no. 2 pencils to do sketches.   
Wearing a frown, Will leaned over to get up off the bench, and that same second the bench dipped and he lurched forward only to be stopped by a pair of familiar hands grappling him back by his waist. 

His notebook and pens clattered to the ground. 

He sat back down on the bench after the hands had left his waist. “Tom, how come our meeting always begins with me almost getting hurt?” Will teased, barely even needing to see to know who it was. Will looked to his side to find baby blues piercing his soul. They were filled with happiness and smiles, puppies, and sunshine. But that was just Will thinking as he relaxed, staring deep into Tom’s eyes. 

“You’re back.” Will's voice was soft, he was in a way relieved that the boy had shown up.

“Of course, I’m back! Were bench buddies!” Tom happily yelled, throwing his hands in the air. Will cringed and shushed the boy. The lack of people didn’t stop him from censoring the disturbance. “Not so loud!” Will chastised. Tom rolled his eyes but stopped. “There’s no one even here gramps, why bother being quiet.” Tom then thought about this, perplexed. “Why is there no one here?” 

They glanced at all the empty seats, Will spoke up. “I’m not sure, you’re the only one I’ve seen so far.” He admitted.   
Around them, the wind started to pick up, the mist started rising up, and the street lamps gave out a dim light.

Tom warily lifted his head up towards the sky, and it was then that they both registered the weather.

They looked up just as the sky gave out.

Above the dark, dark clouds that held the sky with power and intensity, the tiniest of drops started falling, both Will and Tom looking at each other, thinking ‘oh shit’.  
It started pouring quickly, and they got soaked rather quickly as they grabbed their stuff as they spotted and ran for the lone red phone booth that stood nearly 15 feet away. The rain was cold and sharp like ice against bare skin. Huge drops landed on their clothes, hair, arms, leaving them freezing.

They finally made it to the phone booth, not a lot of room inside but they squeezed in together nonetheless. It was rather warm, or at least warmer than the weather outside, and its 2 by 5 glass was a bit stained and dirty. Chipped and rusted both outside and inside.

They took their time to catch their breath, shuddering breaths because of how cold they were. 

Will hurriedly checked his notebook for any signs of having water damage. It seemed fine and he let go of his breath, but then his eyes went wide as he swiveled his head to see his purple pen being drowned in rain. Will sighed rather sadly, he loved that pen, he could only hope that it would be fine when the rain stopped.

Tom looked at the pen just as sorrowfully, wishing he could go out and grab it.

Neither Will nor Tom had any pocket change, so they couldn’t call anyone from the phone- if it even worked still. They were half soaked, and the rain grew heavier, pounding against the glass as if it were hail. Outside the phone booth, the sky and overall color of the park were gray. The sound of rain pattering was almost soothing, but with being soaked it was hard to feel comfortable. 

Will noticed the boy only had a blue and white striped T-shirt, with denim skinny jeans. He clearly showed more signs of discomfort and chills, so Will took his jacket and covered it over Tom.

Tom said a quick thank you, ruffling his soaked hair, he watched beads of rain fling off his hair, laughing a bit. "Reminds me of my dog, Myrtle, when she comes out of her doggy pool. Floppy ears making a wet mess of the floors." Tom smiled fondly at the memory.

The rain battered the roof a little harder, startling Will. It didn't get too dark luckily, and the phonebooth wasn't stuffy, just small. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, neither of them having much to say.

Will, to get to know the boy and pass time, brought up Tom's hobby, caterpillars. 

Will shifted himself a bit, sitting down on the mini bench. "I hope your caterpillars are okay." He spoke gently, not giving eye contact with a turned head, resting it on the palm of his hand.

Tom's heart broke just a little, thinking of his caterpillars outside, in the rain. "They'll be fine, I've raised them well enough," Tom answered in a high and clear voice, with sincereness. Complete faith and trust in his baby's lively hood. His face still held worry, but he tried to brush it off.

They sat there for only minutes before Tom let out a groan of boredom. "Why must it rain, today looked like such a nice day and now I have nothing to do."  
Will closed his eyes without a word, resting. Tom looked over at him, tapping his fingers on his knees. He contemplated talking, taking small quick peeks at the resting man.

But Will beat him to it.

"Why do you watch caterpillars?" Will deadpanned, no facial expression, just peace.

Tom sputtered a bit, not exactly thinking he would ask a question like that. "Well, why would you want to know that?" Tom exclaimed, eyes downcast. This was the first time Tom was silent. He had always been talkative, Will assumed he's always been like this and would open up and say why, but it was quite the opposite.

Tom appeared to not want to talk about it at all.

Will saw the shorter boy playing with his shirt.   
"If you don't want to say why there's no pressure, I don't mind. I just didn't know it was deep-rooted or was… troubling?" Will didn't know how to respond, he didn't necessarily understand the circumstances.

Tom shook his head dismissively. "It's just complicated, personal, but I don't mind sharing." Tom hesitated a bit before continuing, Will kept a respectful distance, letting him speak. "Well- well I guess it's a bit embarrassing? I don't usually talk about it." Tom gave him a look and the vulnerability in his eyes gave Will chills.  
He began his story, head high.

"When I was younger, I used to have skin problems, like really bad," Tom emphasized. "In 4th grade and up, I had terrible eczema on my cheeks and arms and it was itchy too, so they were sometimes red and swollen a bit from the itching." 

Will carefully examined Tom's face and cheek but did not see any unusual blotches. Tom could feel Will's stare and brushed his fingers across his cheek, he didn't feel anything anymore.

Tom chuckled dryly, and Will pulled back realizing he was a bit close, mumbling a sorry. "No it's fine, as you can see it's gone, I got some medicine and cleared it up when I finished 6th grade."

This was when Tom's cheeks started to go red, he didn't like people knowing he dealt with bullying, it made him feel weak. "I was bullied a whole lot, I never had friends, except for Brandy, who's my best friend."   
Will had never thought someone could be bullied for something so trivial, at such a young age too. "I'm sorry that happened to you, you didn't deserve that." The rain started to slow a bit, but only ever so slightly, it still rattled the sides of the glass. 

Tom sighed as if nothing could've been done. "They were only kids, they didn't know what they were doing, but it doesn't make the pain go away any less thinking of it that way." Tom cleared his throat.

Cocking his head, Will asked a question. "But why then do you like caterpillars so much?" He still had a missing piece he didn't understand, the reason felt lost.  
Tom grimaced, hating the memories he was receiving through these conversations.

It caused his heart to hurt thinking about the kids who mocked him throughout his adolescence. "They would call me things like caterpillar boy. And once I got to middle school, the older boys would taunt me, call me ‘prickly bitch’ and other insults because of my ‘scratchy skin’. They would throw fake worms at me. Anything to lower my self-esteem."   
Tom didn't know what else to say, no one really wanted to hear about him, it was sad, and usually, after he finished talking they would lay quiet. 

And he hated disappointing a crowd.

They sat in solemn silence for a bit, these kinds of pasts were what created a bad childhood, yet Toms personality, or facade, described utter happiness and love. 

Will wanted to cheer up Tom, he decided he didn't like him being so serious, he wanted the boy which he saw yesterday back. He, who didn't have many friends, understood at this point in his life that he needed to keep someone. He had to keep this growing friendship strong. 

This one wanted to cherish, after all, he completely broke Will's cold outer demeanor, not being fazed. If someone like Tom would waste his love on someone as rudely presented as Will, that was someone who he's able to keep without them leaving.

"If I went to your schools, nobody would mess with you, I would protect you." Wills throat suddenly felt dry after that, he felt like he shouldn't have said that so soon.   
Tom stopped feeling awful, the darkness immediately got swept out. He never heard such a sweet remark from such a closed-off man before. 'This one is a keeper…' 

Will witnessed the small hands slip into his, and the contrast made the both of them do a double-take. Tom wanted to never leave his palms empty ever again, and Will felt so endeared he even gave a tiny squeeze. Tom giggled, triggering a smile on Will's face, complexion glowing. 

All around them rain fell, but the sun peaked out from passing rain clouds and dressed them and the phonebooth in gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! More chapters out soon! Please give me feedback and drop a comment, I love reading them! :D <3 Enjoy my fellow readers and friends from the 2nd Devons.

**Author's Note:**

> I know what you're thinking... owo what's this? Oh? I was right!?
> 
> Well you're in for a treat because this is gonna be my second 1917 story fresh out the bakery and it has short chapters.  
> Hope ya enjoy my babes at 2nd Devons.


End file.
